William bell



.(o Model.)

' W. BELL & A. B. .LIPS-EY.,

APPARATUS FOR MAKING GAS.

10.244,174- Patented-July 12,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT WlLLIAM BELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND ANDREWBrLIPSEY, OF WEST HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY; SAID LIPSEY ASSIGNOR TO SAIDBELL.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,174, dated July 12,1881,

Application filed January 19, 1881. (No model.)

To all 'whom fit may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM BELL, of the city and county of New York,in the State of New York, and ANDREW B. LIPsEY, of West Hoboken, in thecounty of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Apparatus for Making Gas, of which the followingis a specification.

Our invention relates to the method ot' manufacturin g gas bydecomposing steam and then mingling the resulting hydrogen and oxygenwith hyrdrocarbon vapors for the purpose of enriching it and producingapermanent illuminatinggas.

The invention consists, essentially, in the combination, in a gasapparatus, of one or more retorts containing pipes or conduits, throughwhich steam may bepassed, and which are immersed in molten metal, steamsupply and delivery pipes communicating with said immersed pipes orconduits, a retort containing molten metal, with which saiddelivery-pipe communicates above the level of molten metal therein, anda pipe for introducing hydrocarbon liquid into said last-mentionedretort, also above the level of molten metal therein, as hereinafterfully described.

In the accompanyingdrawings,Figure 1 represents a front elevation of abench of retorts for making gas by our process. Fig. 2 representsatransverse vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 represents a longitudinalsection upon the dotted line a: a2, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 represents alongitudinal section upon the dotted line y y, Fig. 2, and a verticalsection of the gas-washer employed.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all theiigures.

A A' designate retorts, of which four are here represented, arranged inpairs upon opposite sides of a furnace or tire-place, B, and set inbrick-work in the usual way. Between the pairs of retorts A A arearranged two other retorts, C C. The several retorts are set so as toform horizontal ilues or conduits a,through which the products ofcombustion pass back and forth along the exterior of the retorts beforethey linally escape through the chimney.

As clearly shown in Fig. 4, the bottoms ot the retorts A A' are recessedor depressed for almost the whole length, so as to receive and retain kaquant-ity of molten metal D, and in each of the four retorts A A isarranged a series of pipes, b, here shown as four in number, which areimmersed in the molten metal, and are, therefore, not exposed to directcontact with the products ot' combustion. The several pipes b in eachretort are united by bends, so that the substance entering through onepipe is made to traverse four times the length of the retort beforeescaping.

Steam is introduced into the pipes b in each of the upper retorts, A, bya pipe, c, and after traversing four times the length of the retorts'the superheated steam escapes through pipes el to the pipes b,contained in the lower retorts, A', and thus has imparted to it a veryhigh degree ot' heat and is partly or wholly decomposed. The hydrogenand oxyen, and whatever steam still remains undecomposed, leave theretorts A at the front and pass through pipes e to the retort C, whichis lled with coa-l or coke, which is kept in an incandescent state bythe heat, and in passing from the front to the back of the retort O thesteam is entirely decomposed and converted into a lean gas of lowilluminating-power, which escapes from the retort C at the back, end andthrough a pipe, f, passes into the retort C', which is the same inconstruction as the retorts A, and con tains molten metal D, but whichdoes not contain any pipes like the pipes b in the retorts A A. With thelean gas there is introduced into the retort C', through a pipe, y, asuitable quantity of hydrocarbon liquid. Alarge proportion of the liquidso introduced will be vai porized at once, but any which will notvaporize falls to the molten metal` D, which covers the bottom of theretort, and as soon as it touches the molten metal itis at oncevaporized. In passing through the retort C the lean gas takes up aquantity of hydrocarbon vapor, and the two are combined to produce a Xedper ina-nent gas, which leaves the retort C at the front and passesthrough a pipe, h, which ter-V minates below the level of liquid in awashbox, E. From the wash-box the gas passes up ward through a pipe ortrunk, F, into a sprayehamber, G, from which it passes through anoutlet, t', to the gas-holder.

ln the pipe or trunk F is a spraying device,

5 j, by which the chamber G is iilled with spray,

through which the gas is made to pass.

H designates a water-valve for ,closing the passage to the spray-chamberG; and k designates a pipe depending therefrom, through which the waterfrom the spray-chamber enters the wash-box. Upon the pipe k is a rack,and by means of a transverse shaft, l, provided with a pinion andhand-wheel, the valve H may be moved upward or downward.

The wash-boXE is furnished with a dischargepipe, m, which, by means of ascrew-threaded supporting-rod and hand-wheel, n, may be adjusted toretain any depth of Water in the washbox.

If the steam is thoroughly decomposed in passing through the pipes b theretort C may be dispensed with, and the hydrogen and oxygen resultingfrom the decomposition ofthe steam be passed directly from the pipes bin the retorts A to the retort C.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a gas apparatus, the combination of one or more retorts containingpipes or conduits, through which steam may be passed, and which areimmersed in molten metal, steamsupply and delivery pipes communicatingwith said immersed pipes or conduits, a retort containing molten metal,with Lwhich said deliverypipe communicates above the level of moltenmetal therein, and a pipe for introducing hydrocarbon liquid into saidretort, also above the level of molten metal therein, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the retorts A Af, containing molten metal, andheating-pipes b, the

retort C, containing coke, coal, or charcoal, the

retort C', containing molten metal, the several pipes connecting saidretorts, and the pipe for introducing hydrocarbon liquid into the retortC', all substantially as specified.

WM. BELL. ANDREW B. LIPSEY.

Witnesses:

T. J. KEANE,

CHANDLER HALL.

